


There's a First Time For Everything

by OliverJars



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Drabble, Ficlet, M/M, Volleyball Angst, but also they're in love so take that how you will, not inherently romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OliverJars/pseuds/OliverJars
Summary: Oikawa Tooru could remember every first he’s ever had in Volleyball; his first jump serve, his first block, his first championship. No first was more special to him than his first time setting Iwaizumi Hajime in a game.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 15





	There's a First Time For Everything

Oikawa Tooru could remember every first he’s ever had in Volleyball; his first jump serve, his first block, his first championship. No first was more special to him than his first time setting Iwaizumi Hajime in a game. They could barely walk before they both had volleyballs in their arms, elementary school students in a local club. They hadn’t really taught setting, but Oikawa had a lot of heart, and a deep hyperfixation on the position from the first time he had seen a game on tv. They were in that league’s closest approximation to a game, no one was really keeping scores or paying attention, but he could not have cared less. He lifted that ball high in the air and to everyone’s surprise Iwaizumi connected with it. He slapped the ball so hard it got tangled up in the cheap net. Oikawa’s heart swelled with pride as he shouted,  
“We’ll get the next one, Iwa-chan!”  
To this day, Oikawa didn’t know why he had chosen Iwaizumi, but from first sight he knew that he had chosen a friend for life. No matter how many times Oikawa accidentally hit him with a ball, Iwaizumi would call him a mean name, sure, but he always threw the ball back and offered to hit it around again and again, regardless. From day one, he had been sturdy, reliable, and honest, even at age 5. (If you asked Iwaizumi, it was because his mom had always packed him the good snacks, and Oikawa was desperate.)  
Oikawa, of course, could not clearly remember every single time he set a ball to Iwaizumi Hajime. From age 5 to age 18 they had been more than teammates, more than best friends. So, to ask him what each and every toss he sent to Iwaizumi was like, would be just the same as asking him how many breaths he had ever taken. A much less stupid question to ask him would be how have you felt with Iwaizumi. There was a simple answer to that: Everything. From the booming victory bells, to the low swampy song of defeat; from late night final exam study sessions, to early morning coffee trips before school; beyond volleyball they had been through everything together. Together they had a lifetime of companionship and trust, which had been a pillar in creating the bonds between their teammates.  
Which is why Oikawa went into the Spring Interhigh against Karasuno with his usual cocky swagger. Between his long cultivated skill, his long cultivated friendship, and his ace in the holl Mad Dog, he couldn’t have been more sure of himself. Even as Karasuno swiped their match point from under them, Oikawa was sure they would prevail. Kageyama Tobio may have been a genius, but he had a handle on things, he would crush Tobio and that Shrimp into the ground, and then he would go on to crush Ushiwaka, and all of Japan. He had to, it was his last chance to do this. It was his last chance to conquer nationals with Iwaizumi. Even as he saw red, with Kageyama looking down at him, he swore he had a handle on it.  
It never occurred to him that this would be the last time he tossed a ball to Iwaizumi. That super long push from the outside was a period at the end of a novel Oikawa had the pleasure of writing. As the ball that damn shrimp hit off the block bounced off his arms, it sunk in for the first time, 13 years of relying on your best friend, your ace, all of it ended. Well, most of it, they would still be friends, of course, who else would call him “Trashykawa.” There was a first time for everything, after all, and this would be his first time in a long time, where he did not have a future to look forward to of volleyball with his best friend.  
Oikawa gave Iwaizumi a firm slap on the back. He was strong, he had been strong for as long as he’d known him. Iwaizumi wasn’t allowed to waiver yet. He needed Iwaizumi to chin up. In that firm slap on the back he channeled the whole story, the rage, the passion, the anger, the love that he felt for his friend. Oikawa knew he felt it.  
When he was alone in the locker rooms, after the bus ride home, Oikawa let the world drown in his ears. He let all of the sadness and sorrow fall upon his shoulders and he sank to the floor, hot water drowning out the hot tears on his face. He wouldn’t have traded his 3 years playing ball at Aoba Johsai for anything, not even for Nationals. If only he had known that would be the last game he ever played with Iwaizumi, the last time he ever set him up for a spike, he would have taken in every sent, every movement, he would have memorized it all.  
Silently, Iwaizumi snuck into the locker room, knowing exactly where his captain would be. He pulled Oikawa from the ground and pulled his sopping wet body into a tight, strong hug. Then he started crying too. It was the fourth time Oikawa had ever seen him cry.  
There they sat, bathed in sopping silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally Oikawa wiped his tears and turned off the water. His heart swelling with pride, he beamed at Iwaizumi and said “That was fun, Iwa-chan!” Iwaizumi responded with a hearty punch on the shoulder and a deep laugh. It sure was.


End file.
